


can't say it yet

by suddenlyatiger



Series: not one for long goodbyes [6]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Hale Takes Care of Stiles Stilinski, Established Relationship, M/M, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-30 22:11:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12662460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suddenlyatiger/pseuds/suddenlyatiger
Summary: Stiles is bleeding and Derek is furious.Tonight hasn't been a good night.





	can't say it yet

Stiles is bleeding and Derek is furious.

 

Tonight hasn't been a good night.

 

Wait, scratch that. The night had started out good. Great, even. Derek can almost still feel the phantom touch of Stiles' lips on his from when they'd kissed for the first time. And then a second time. There might have even been a third time had they not had to leave to go search for whatever it was that was causing trouble in the preserve.

 

It's hours later now. They've long since found the source of all the mayhem: a tweenage witch suddenly coming into his magic, resulting in new powers that he can neither understand nor control. That had resulted in a week of strange happenings around town, culminating with a giant showdown tonight in the preserve.

 

The witch – who Derek is pretty sure is only still in _middle school_ \- is currently chained to a nearby tree (Derek had initially been skeptical when Stiles had first produced the chains, hours earlier, but he admits that he's grateful for them now) awaiting the arrival of his parents, who are being driven over by the sheriff, who had been the one to track them down. The kid had been cocky and laughing earlier, back when he'd had the upper hand on the pack, but now he looks miserable and slightly scared.

 

Miserable could be from losing the fight, scared is definitely because Derek hasn't stopped glaring at him since Scott and Isaac chained him to the tree.

 

"Derek, you wanna lay off the kid?" Stiles asks. Derek finally turns away from the witch and looks at Stiles, who is sitting on the ground at Derek's feet prodding at the bleeding gash on his thigh. Stiles glances up and completely ignores Derek's glare (he's mostly immune by now, Derek doesn't know whether to be pleased or put out by that), frowning. "I'm pretty sure it was an accident."

 

"Don't defend him," Derek growls.

 

"I'm not," Stiles says. "But it's not like it's totally his fault. He's like, what, 12?"

 

"I'm 14!" The kid exclaims, sounding a bit insulted. He's straining against the chains, suddenly brave again, but he shrinks back immediately once Derek and Stiles both turn glares on him.

 

"His age is no excuse for what he's been doing this whole time," Derek says. "He could've seriously hurt people. He almost seriously hurt you!"

 

"I'm fine, Derek! It's not that serious," Stiles shoots back. "Besides, his age is probably the only thing keeping me from decking him. We can't just beat the shit out of him and call it a night. Let his parents deal with him, it's mostly their fault for not training him in the first place anyway."

 

"You're bleeding," Derek says. It's really the most important point for him of this whole mess. The kid doesn't have any actual spells at his disposal, but he does have some kind of basic percussion... _thing_ going on that can knock objects and people around. The werewolves in the pack had gotten thrown around during the fight and battered (mostly with forest life) quite a bit, but they heal quick and none of the damage lasted very long. Allison and Lydia, who do not heal all that quickly, were smart enough to keep out of the way and generally avoid the witch's attention (not that he seemed too keen on going after any of the girls anyway, unless Erica was goading him).

 

Stiles, on the other hand, who is also not quick to heal, had had no problem with constantly throwing himself in the middle of things, getting a sharp tree branch to the leg in the process. It's definitely not as bad as it could've been, and the fact that it had only ended up being a glancing blow is the only thing keeping Derek from ripping the kid's head off.

 

"It'll stop as soon as I actually wrap it up with something," Stiles says. Derek had literally torn the leg from Stiles' pants to get at the wound, so he can see it clearly: still red and angry and dripping blood down Stiles' leg. Derek immediately strips off his shirt (ignoring Stiles' faint mutter of ' _oh my god of course_ ') and kneels down beside Stiles.

 

He's gentle as he carefully wraps the t-shirt around the wound. He can feel Stiles' gaze on him, and he doesn't look up from his work because he knows he's starting to go a bit red in the face. He uses the sleeves to tie a knot to keep the shirt in place. It's the worse-looking bandage job he's ever seen, but it'll do until they can get Stiles home to his well-stocked first aid kit with actual bandages. He doesn't move away even after the makeshift bandage is tied.

 

"I'm alright, Derek," Stiles says.

 

"It could've been a lot worse," Derek says. He starts to turn his head to glare at the kid again, but Stiles stops him with a hand on his cheek. He turns Derek's head to face himself and looks Derek directly in the eye.

 

"Derek Hale, I love you, but so help me if you don't start ignoring that kid and help me up right now I will pour Mountain Ash all over your car," he says, completely serious. Derek stares at Stiles with wide, surprised eyes, and pretty much doesn't hear anything he says past 'I love you'. He hasn’t heard Stiles say it since that first time he let it slip accidentally over the phone. But he's saying it now, completely unprompted and with his heartbeat not skipping in the least.

 

Derek's mouth drops open, and he becomes very suddenly aware that he and Stiles aren't alone. He can almost feel the others' gazes on him, even the kid's probably. There's a swell of emotion growing in his chest and he clenches his jaw because he just can't make himself say the words. But then Stiles is running a thumb back and forth across Derek's cheek, and smiling at him like he knows.

 

Derek closes his eyes and drops his head down onto the raised knee of Stiles' injured leg.

 

That's when the sheriff finally arrives with the kid's parents.

 

-[-----]-

 

It's late night and Derek and Stiles are crowded in the Stilinski bathroom. Stiles is sitting on the tiny bathroom counter, practically in the sink, and dozing off as Derek deals with his injured leg.

 

Stiles had cleaned the wound out as best he could in the shower and now Derek is wiping it with an antiseptic wipe from the first aid kit. The sting of it is probably what's keeping Stiles from completely falling asleep.

 

"See, s'not so bad," Stiles mumbles. Derek glances up at him as he finishes with the antiseptic wipe and moves onto the gauze bandages. Stiles is watching him through half-lidded eyes. Derek focuses on the bandaging.

 

"You got lucky," he says. The wound does look a lot better all cleaned up, and turns out to be a bit smaller than Derek had first thought. But the edges are a bit ragged and puffy, and it's still bleeding slightly. Derek and the sheriff had initially suggested that Stiles go to the hospital to get it checked out, but Stiles had refused so Derek had taken him straight home.

 

"All of us did, I suppose," Stiles says. "In our own ways." Once the bandage is secure, Derek shoves the first-aid supplies to one side and helps Stiles down from the counter. Stiles lets himself drop to his feet and doesn't even bother trying to stand on his own before he's leaning on Derek. Stiles tucks his face into Derek's neck and goes limp; Derek wraps his arms around Stiles' waist and holds him tightly. He turns his face into Stiles' hair and sighs.

 

"I can't say it yet," he mumbles. He thinks that Stiles doesn't hear it at first. But then Stiles raises a hand to pat at Derek's cheek.

 

"I know," he says, hot breath puffing against Derek's neck.

 

"I still feel it though," Derek says. Because Stiles needs to know. Derek can't bring himself to say the words; can't make himself verbalize the feelings growing inside him, to put the words out there and run the risk of everything falling apart. Every time he's told someone he loved them it had been one of the last things he'd gotten to say to them before disaster struck. As unreasonable as it sounds he can't make himself risk that with Stiles; he can only try to show him how he feels and hope it's enough. Enough for him to understand, and enough to keep him safe.

 

Stiles raises his head and looks Derek right in the eye. "I know," he says again. He presses a quick kiss to Derek's lips before resting their foreheads together with a sigh. Derek closes his eyes and just lets himself feel.

 

The smell of blood still lingers in the air, but Stiles is still whole and alive in Derek's arms. And he knows; that's enough for Derek right now.

 

Stiles lightly bumps his forehead against Derek's. "Take me to bed, Derek, I feel like I could sleep for a week." Derek huffs out a soft laugh and leads Stiles to his bedroom. His plan is to tuck Stiles into bed and then clean up the bathroom a bit before he leaves. That plan is soon foiled when Stiles drags Derek into bed with him, though, to be fair, it's not like Derek is resisting much.

 

It doesn't take long for Stiles to fall asleep. Derek stays awake a bit longer, spooned up against Stiles' back with an arm wrapped around Stiles' waist. Stiles mumbles something in his sleep and Derek drops a kiss against his head before tucking his face against the back of Stiles' neck and closing his eyes.


End file.
